Cacao Farm and Guayaquil City Tour

Trip was really informative as well as enjoyable with a once in a lifetime experience to learn about how the cacao bean transforms into chocolate. Mario and the family at the farm made us feel at home and their knowledge really made the trip special. Beyond the farm we experienced the old cobblestone streets of the city and iguana park…. All in all it was a great trip and I would highly recommend this tour… surely one that will not disappoint!

Mario was knowledgeable and we enjoyed our day with him!

Our day with Marcos was AMAZING! He took us to a friend's cacao farm and we learned SO MUCH about the making of chocolate!! Lunch there was absolutely delicious and we got to make our own chocolate bars. Marcos knew we only had 1 day in Guayaquil and he helped us pack in as much as humanly possible. After exploring the cacao farm we saw the main sights of the city. Marcos speaks perfect English and knows a ton of history. He answered every question with great context and humor. A full & VERY interesting day!

We had an incredible time on the tour. Mario is an excellent tour guide with to a vast amount of knowledge. He made the tour so interesting and gave us so much context for the experience and what we were seeing. It was so much more than we ever expected. Excellent excellent excellent. Could not have had a better guide….

Mario took us to visit a small cacao farm, "Cacao and Mangos", where we met his friends. It was clear that they loved their farm. We saw cacao flowers and pods, fermenting and drying, and then grinding. We mixed the pure chocolate with raw sugar... and then with water to make cocoa. We watched as one of the family made chocolate bars with add-ins. Our hosts served us a wonderful lunch... appetizer plantain and cheese fried, secco de polio (a chicken stew) and mango pie! All of the food was from the farm... including the free-range chickens, who were wandering all over. Mario told us about his life and finding the job he loved, showing visitors his country... after the farm we came back into Guayaquil to the Iuana Park and the cathedral and a walking tour. Highly recommended!

Mario is an awesome guide. He knows Guayaquil like the back of his hand. He led us all around the city and provided insight into all sorts of different aspects of this special city. We were never in fear walking around or concerned about our safety. Mario's family's history dates back many decades and it shows. He is very passionate about his city and it shows in his presentation of content and pride when speaking about the different landmarks and history. Mario worked with me on building out a custom itinerary. He is flexible on location, timing, and receptive to ideas and collaboration on what to tour. We went to a great cocoa farm. We enjoyed a terrific lunch and laughed a lot. I wasn't able to sample Mario's cooking but apparently, he is a good chef. So you can add that to your agenda probably :-) Book Mario, he is GREAT!